Cinnamon Rolls and Stand Up Comedy?
Bubbe's Comedy Hour serves both in a gorgeous Brooklyn Brownstone
If there were ever a need for comedy, it’s now. Which is why I’m excited to tell you about a great little under-the-radar standup show. It’s called Bubbe’s Comedy Hour – it’s a monthly (often sold-out) Brooklyn standup show that takes place in various Brownstone living rooms across the borough. And it’s just $20 a person and it comes with homemade baked goods, just like you’d get at Bubbe’s.
Founder Jeremy Pinsly, a finance major turned standup comic, turned headlining comedy producer, founded it two years ago as a way to showcase local talent in an intimate space.
The idea of doing a show in a brownstone was a bit of kismet; a few years ago he and his fiance found an amazing oversized apartment and realized they had room to host shows, something he was itching to do in a more intimate setting than his typical high profile comedy venues. He started out in the apartment’s living room in 2023 with just 20 friends – the neighbors didn’t mind and the show was a smash hit. He’s been at it, every month, ever since.
The show’s mascot, Bubbe, is an old Dutch woman in a painting, a muse that works. “My fiancé liked the painting,” he recalled. “I got it for $150 on “offer up” or something. I gave it to her on Valentine’s Day. The lady in the painting has become the spirit of the show.”
Almost two years into the series, Jeremy has already hosted the city’s top comics – Nathan Macintosh, Napoleon Emil, Michael Rowland, Alison Leiby, Josh Gondelman, Joyelle Nicole Johnson, Maddie Wiener, Daniel Simonsen, Aaron Chen, Usama Sidiquee, Kenice Mobley, Matthew Broussard, Rafi Bastos, Ophira Eisenberg, JP McDade, Luke Mones, Chanel Ali, Ariel Elias, and Olga Namer.
A real estate snaffu nearly led to Bubbe’s end; Jeremy and Kayla’s the landlord sold their building, the couple had to move. But Jeremy found another Brownstone space to host the show in Carroll Gardens. Word of mouth brought in a new host. “Someone who came to the show ended up telling a friend that we needed a new space,” he said. “She was in her late 40s and she was like, I heard your show is amazing, and I want the party brought to me.”
For Jeremy, the intimacy of the Brownstone adds a community element he loves to nurture. “The idea is when you're here, you’re family,” he said. “It’s the vibe of bubbe.”
In keeping with the bubbe-vibe, of course, there is food. Jeremy’s fiancé Kayla Sossin is a baker and she bakes something different (included with the price of your ticket) for every show – cupcakes, cookies, rugelach, what have you. Word is cinnamon rolls are planned for February 7th with comics John F. O'Donnel, Rafi Bastos and Joyelle Nicole Johnson, and special guests. I will be there and hope to see you!!
Follow Bubbe’s Comedy Hour.